We Were Children Once
by Major Winters 101st
Summary: War, that mad game the world so loves to play. (Jonathan Swift) If war is a game, it was not meant for a young assassin and a young officer. Follow Wally West and Artemis Crock as they set forth to stop the killing and blood shed in a war gone wrong. If they fail it could mean the end of their lives and civilization. AU Bialyan-Quraci War


A crimson red splashed against the sandy walls. Blood has been spilled yet again in this forsaken alley. A body dropped to the ground covered in blood, with the mind open to the world. The smoke dissipated from the muzzle of the weapon, an AR-15. It doesn't take long for the lights of the night to illuminate the grisly scene. A man about 21 is laying on the ground dead from the bullet to the head. It seems that since the war broke out, murders like this are commonplace. Qurac was once a prosperous place just before Bialya attacked. The war had seen the worst human rights violations since World War II. Old men and women were being put to death as they were unable to work effectively in the labor camps, while children were thrown into Bialyan training to help fight against their own country. These children were often used as cannon fodder once they passed military training at age 15. It wasn't unheard of that Bialyan air support and armor frequently fired upon these children. It was friendly fire, but these young soldiers knew it was anything but.

More gunshots were heard in the distance. The yelling and screaming could just be heard over the exchanges of bullets. More people were dying everyday in a pointless war that one person created for the sole benefit of profits for her war companies. Queen Bee vested her power in military support and foreign war companies. In 1984, she oust the Social Democracy Party of Bialya and began persecuting the civilian government. Many people were sent to the death camps and disposed of. More would later die due to a shortage of supplies and food. Three years later the country of Bialya pulled out of the United Nations creating a mess of international relations and preventing trade of non-military items. Come 1994, seven years later, Bialya made a first strike against the neighboring country of Qurac. The Quraci military was outnumbered and outgunned during the first part of the campaign. 12,000 soldiers and civilians died in the first few battles of the war. The United Nation and U.S. Military sent support in the form of 25,000 soldiers and support crews. Within several months, the advance was stopped. However the damage was done and the death toll by the end of the war was over 1.5 million, most of them civilian. The Quraci military was also in shambles, only one thousand men and women were left to fight and the president had lost his daughter in the street fighting. Then in 2008, the Bialyan military struck again. With ease the military crossed into Qurac, arresting and killing any opposition to the Queen. The months after the battle saw the capital and surrounding hills captured and fortified. The very capital of Qurac, Dahbar, was now a war zone. Murders and killings were happening on a constant basis. The very killing that just happened, occurred within the city streets.

The murderer that shot the man dropped her rifle to the ground. Her blond hair tied in a messy ponytail and her jeans covered in blood. Her young, steel eyes studied the scene with discontent; she couldn't have been older than 13. Unlike the children around the city, this one was different. She was not Middle Eastern or even European, rather Vietnamese. Olive skin seemed to blend in with the drab shirt she wore, but the shirt was stained crimson. Fear and shock flowed down her body, just before a hand rested on her shoulder.

"Great job, baby girl." A towering figure looked down upon his daughter, smug and proud. A blue baseball cap matched his jacket and hit most of his blond hair from view. His enjoyment in the death of others communicated his disregard of human life. A SPAS 12 was shouldered by sling. If it were not for the clothes, he would not have looked out of place in a mercenary group. The man she just killed was his target, a observer for the Red Cross. His name was Allen Marrow. Marrow was not the typical volunteer. He had spent most of his life campaigning for human rights with Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. For the past month he had been rallying governments to finally help but an end to the injustices in Bialya. The man in the blue cap was hired to assassinate Marrow by the Queen. His mission a success, the man smiled and took out his phone to call it in.

"This is Crock… Yeah I hit him. He didn't see me coming… Understood, I'm heading back to the States. Thank you, Ra's al Ghul."

Lawrence Crock closed his phone with a smirk and looked to his daughter. Her eyes were focused on the body; wide and disturbed. Her first victim, a man only 8 years older than herself, and she took his life with the rifle in hand. The man had his entire life ahead of him, but it was cut short by the small blast of gunpowder. It finally dawned on the child that war is hell, and she was helping the chaos of this conflict.

Lawrence grew impatient with her shock. Grabbing the rifle from her hands, he blaster her furiously with words, "Don't just stand there, let's get out of here before the MPs come!"

The girl looked to her father. Her innocence lost in a heat of gunfire. Lawrence only grabbed her daughter's arm and ripped her from the scene, "Let's go, Artemis."

Nine Years Later:

Second Lieutenant Wallace West watched below as the terrain below passed by. Today was November 11th, his 23rd Birthday. Less than four months ago, Wally graduated from college and Reserve Officer Training Corps of the United States Army. To any other peacetime army, this would have been uneventful. However, America was at war. The year was 2017, during the past few years, Qurac Liberation Front rebels began targeting military and political elements of the Bialyan military. The United Nations began taking action with the Quraci military rebels on the ground. Military support to the rebels came in the form of twenty armed cars and multiple weapon systems. These weapons helped level the playing field against the Bialyan military, which was highly advanced. Soon the rebels began setting up a temporary government in the mountains. Formally, the government requested assistance from NATO and other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Soon the US began deploying its forces in the mountains and sending them down into the valley and the capital. Over 50,000 troops were sent in a full war to assist. Lieutenant West and several other members of the 101st Airborne were tasked with taking a weapons depot just outside the city of Khalil.

The escort into the city consisted of three Blackhawk helicopters and one Apache attack chopper. Already three other choppers were downed by electronics failure caused by a solar flare. The engineers were barely able to recover the remaining helicopters and a few GPS systems to use to located the weapons depot. With the amount of electronics in the military, it was a surprise that a solar flare managed to get past the sensors of the Air Force and several space agencies. However it seemed as though the Bialyan army had not slowed down. More than 2000 troops have been amassed in the general area of the city. The United States military has sent 1500 troops to take care of the situation. While the main army deals with the Bialyan forces, the 101st will be attacking the supply and weapons depot.

The choppers banked sharply avoiding direct weapons fire and flak. Just one projectile was enough to completely obliterate a single chopper. More guns started to train in on the helicopters. By now, nearly half the sky was covered in flying metal and black smoke. Eleven soldiers were housed on each helicopter, a total of 33 soldiers and 14 helicopter crew for support. Everyone onboard knew the risk they were about to take. Letters had been written to families and wills were documented. Lieutenant West took out his wallet. In there was a picture of his friends from school and ROTC. His best friend, Richard Grayson, was a former acrobat and a ward of billionheir Bruce Wayne. His dark hair and blue eyes contrasted with Wally's red hair and green eyes. There was always the joke that Dick was the circus boy and Wally was a walking holiday. Next to Dick there was a good friend name Kaldur'ham. A very quiet but strong individual, Kaldur was a transfer student from Hawaii. He went to school with Wally and Dick at Stanford University and was a part of the Navy ROTC while Wally and Dick attended the Army ROTC. Quickly they formed a bond at Stanford and kept in touch. Dick became a 75th Regiment Ranger and Kaldur passed his exams to join the Navy SEALs in SEAL team 2. Wally on the other hand thought he was nothing special. Barely passing the fitness test for the Army had brought him down. It was lucky for West that the Army badly needed more troops for the 101st Air Assault Division. Within several months, Wally pasted Air Assault school and joined up with the Second 506th E Company.

A burst of weapons fire shook Wally from his memories. The gatling guns to the chopper began to open fire on vehicles and troops below. The helicopters now were flying just above the ground. Trees and buildings were barely avoided as the group came closer to the objective. Suddenly a burst of flak struck Wally's chopper. Wind and metal blasted around the cabin as the gaping holes let blinding light in from the desert sun. Lieutenant West looked around the cabin to witness the damage. One of his soldiers was gripping his arm, a piece of shrapnel stuck out of his upper arm, while blood dripped to the floor. Similar pieces of metal were lodged in Wally's body armor, but it was the gunner who had received the most damage. The gunner was slumped over the gun and pinned to his seat by multiple pieces of metal. The seat was completely torn by the explosion, while crimson was sprinkled the cabin. There was no doubt that the gunner had died instantly.

This was the first time Wally had seen someone die in front of him. The shock of war had finally reached him. Anyone could die. A medic started to pull the wounded soldier to the ground to begin treatment. The other gunner was now constantly switching seats to eliminate any threats to the aircraft. The stress of losing a buddy was apparent to the gunner, even though his masked face didn't show it.

The lieutenant looked outside the window to his chopper. Another Blackhawk was hit by flak, this time it was a direct hit. Smoke billowed from the aircraft and an emergency radio message was put through, "This is Hawk 1-3. Bird is hit we have six wounded and two dead. We are breaking off."

Wally grabbed his radio on his chest, "Roger, 1-3, move away from the battle. Hawk 1-1 and 1-2 can handle the mission."

Eight more men were lost to battle. The chance of victory seemed bleaker and bleaker with each passing moment. Troops were dying on every front, while fighting for the freedom of a people taken advantage of for war and profit. It did not seem right for the price of victory to be this high. Already hundreds of thousands of NATO troops were dying to free the oppressed Quraci people. This war did not concern the American people, nor did it concern the members of the UN. However the more Wally thought, the more it made sense; he was fighting to help someone he did not know. He was fighting for the freedom and security of a people who had a wonderful life before the war. However the question remained on where the line was drawn between liberator and conqueror. A question that has plagued every war, every battle. For now it was time of organized chaos, a time of hell on earth.

The helicopters began to slow down to land. The flak had subsided, but enemy troops were now moving on Wally's position. The door was slid open to reveal the cabin to the world. Gun fire rang through the air allowing the 506th to dismount. Wally grabbed his M4 and gave the loading mechanism a cock. A round was now chambered in his carbine. Another round of gunfire sprang up. Dirt and sand started to fly as the helicopters dusted off. Wally and his squad dashed for an area of cover. Chatter littered the radio as the squads communicated to Lieutenant West.

"Sir, Bravo squad is pinned by the church, we need assistance!"

"Lieutenant, I just lost a trooper to an RPG we need a medic."

Wally grabbed his radio and began giving directions, "Bravo squad, sit tight. Charlie squad, lay down suppressive fire and pull your wounded to the church. Alpha squad and I will make our way to the weapons depot."

More bullets began to dance overhead. Lieutenant West grabbed his carbine and started to lead his troops away from the landing zone. The city erupted into a frenzy of weapon fire, causing Alpha squad to hit cover every few minutes. Eventually Wally and his squad looked ahead to see a large metal building. A machine gun was positioned near the door with a contingent of guards with weapons drawn. The entire facility was flanked by an old wood building to the North, with seemingly no way to access it from the ground. This was a tactical disadvantage to the squad. With only seven people including Lieutenant West, the entire facility seemed impenetrable. Until an idea rose in Wally's head.

"Sergeant Gomez," Wally spoke to his NCO, "I need your squad to open fire on the facility. Find a spot to flank and eliminate targets of opportunity."

The sergeant saluted his leader and began positioning his troops for an ambush. Wally then pointed to a soldier who was readying his rifle. "Private Todd, you are coming with me. We are going to drop into the ammo dump. Bring your rappel gear."

The soldier saluted and followed his commanding officer up to a building. Fortunately for Wally, the tops of the buildings were close enough together that he could cross the tops and reach the building to the north. The wooden door to the building was kicked down by Private Todd. Wally followed shortly after receiving word that the building was clear. The lieutenant followed his soldier to the top floor. Passing by, the two soldiers looked at the pictures on the walls and the chairs spread around the floor. It looked as though someone lived there not to long ago. Children's toys laid abandoned on the ground, while pots and pans were casted to the floor. If it weren't for the war, the building probably would have belonged to a happy family in Qurac. Entering this house, reminded Wally of home. Before the war, before the Army, Lieutenant West was just a child. He played sports with kids his age, he sat at the table to feast upon the dinner his mother made him, and he would listen to stories on how his uncle saved Central City as a CSI officer. Wally looked up to his Uncle Barry Allen, almost as much as he looked up to his father. However not everything is happy in America. During an investigation of a shooting spree, a pipe-bomb went off. The bomb ended up severing Barry's legs just below the knees, while killing three police officers. The injuries Barry received eventually cost him his job, as he was unable to perform. Eventually the house his Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris's house that they lived in was taken back by the bank, as Officer Allen no longer had a stable job or insurance to pay for medical costs. The injuries Barry Allen received haunted Wally. Just like this home had become evicted by war, so too had his uncle lost his home to a war against crime and unjust banking.

Private Todd and Wally reached the top of the building. The assault had begun as the sounds of assault rifles and machine guns pelted through the air. Smoke and dust began to kick up, allowing a smoke screen for Todd and West to use. The two soldiers began leaping across buildings to reach the house to the north. The building was run down, a bomb had taken out nearly 75% of the roof leaving just a small fraction stable enough to walk across. The ammo dump laid just below the destroyed home, allowing Wally and Todd to deploy their rappelling ropes. Gripping one rope tightly, Todd began to lower himself to gain a better view of the battle. Less than a third of the way down, the sound of gunfire was directed at the two soldiers. Wally took cover, but when the fire subsided, he heard something drop to the ground. Looking over the edge, Lieutenant West went to check on Private Todd. The soldier laid on the ground at the end of the rope, his helmet was cracked open and blood poured from under the helmet. Wally rappelled down the rope to help his fallen comrade. He landed and reached for Todd's neck to feel for a pulse, but there was none. The soldier had been killed by the bullets, his dog tags dangled over the side of his neck.

Wally reached for Todd's dogtags to read out loud, "'Private Basic, Jason Todd. Age: 19.' You will be missed, I'm sorry I could not have done more." The sorrow in Wally's voice was kept back. He could not bear to shed tears in the middle of battle. For if he did, Wally would surely die. For now, all the lieutenant could do now is to pick up his weapon and search the depot.

The ammo dump was filled with many different crates and boxes. Most read ammo and launchers, however a cylindrical object was posed in the center of the facility. Grabbing his carbine, Wally slowly began to move towards the center. Even though most of the the soldiers were fighting outside, the lieutenant could not be too careful behind enemy line. The object gleemed in the darkened sunlight. Unlike most things in the facility, this object was bright red and had a warning label reading something in a foreign language. At first glance the writing looked Arabic, but the numbers below were arranged in a certain way that perplexed the average speaker. The lieutenant grabbed the object and looked it over. The texture was smooth through his glove, like it belonged in a well oiled machine. Wally took a few minutes to examine the object before listening for people outside. The sound of gunfire was finished; the battle was over, but the mystery had just begun.

**A/N And the you have it. I know everyone has been waiting my stories, and so I decided to start my next genre. And for you people wanting Star Trek, don't you worry. I almost have the next chapter done. I promise to have everything done.**


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